Distribution and dynamics of Greenland subglacial lakes

Bowling, Jade and Livingstone, Stephen and Sole, Andrew and Chu, Winnie (2019) Distribution and dynamics of Greenland subglacial lakes. Nature Communications, 10 (1): 2810. ISSN 2041-1723

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Abstract

Few subglacial lakes have been identified beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) despite extensive documentation in Antarctica, where periodic release of water can impact ice flow. Here we present an ice-sheet-wide survey of Greenland subglacial lakes, identifying 54 candidates from airborne radio-echo sounding, and 2 lakes from ice-surface elevation changes. These range from 0.2–5.9 km in length, and are mostly distributed away from ice divides, beneath relatively slow-moving ice. Based on our results and previous observations, we suggest three zones of formation: stable lakes in northern and eastern regions above the Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) but away from the interior; hydrologically-active lakes near the ELA recharged by surface meltwater and; small, seasonally-active lakes below the ELA, which form over winter and drain during the melt season. These observations provide important constraints on the GrIS's basal thermal regime and help refine our understanding of the subglacial hydrological system.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Nature Communications
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1300/1300
Subjects:
?? greenlandsubglacial lakeice sheethydrologygeneral biochemistry,genetics and molecular biologygeneral chemistrygeneral physics and astronomybiochemistry, genetics and molecular biology(all)chemistry(all)physics and astronomy(all) ??
ID Code:
134621
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
25 Jun 2019 10:10
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
16 Jul 2024 11:10